Continuing Evolution

I've decided to go smaller than the last plan I posted. This one is 18' x 16' on the ground floor with small screened porch and a finished attic above. With a little more rigor, I've condensed the living space while still relying on normal-sized furniture and without having to transform one space into another during daily life. Years ago when I lived aboard my sailboat, I found that I never transformed my double berth into a dinette--I just ate in bed! Understanding that I am lazy in this way, I'm not designing space that is configurable with pull-outs, fold downs, etc. I'll leave the table as a table, leave the bed as a bed, and so on.

While there is enough room to live simply on the ground floor, the attic will allow for relatively easy access to things that aren't needed every day like books, fancy clothes, filing cabinets, and so on. I'll be able to store family heirlooms like paintings and other nicknacks without having to rent space in a climate-controlled self storage facility.

The tradeoff for a conventional gable roof is that there is no longer a living roof. I'm sad about that, but the much smaller footprint is compelling in its own way. There are many tradeoffs in any design exercise. This should be a cozy first phase building, and later I'll be able to use it as a guest house or home office after I build my “larger” house next door. (At 900 sf, large is a relative term.) I'll bring in some of the higher-cost but greener items into the main house, like the living roof, and active solar for the radiant floor. In the meantime, it's almost time to submit for a building permit!

Designing Away

I've got the floor plan figured out,  That's a 3-season porch on the left, and the main living space is divided with a half-height wall.  Here are a couple perspective shots as well, the first taken from the head of the bed, and the other from the corner of the kitchen.  (The view out the windows in the first rendering is pretty close to reality.)

Initial Sketch

I'm starting to develop my initial sketch into construction drawings. This is intended to be a smaller structure to test out all the natural building techniques I'll implement and work out any kinks. (See the 'Design' page of my dumbhome.com website for more info on those.)

In the short term, it will be a full-time residence of 450 gross square feet, with a 150 sf three-season porch. Once I'm ready to build my full-size house on the lot (with garage/workshop), this cottage can become a home office, guest house, or a rental unit. It would make a lot of sense for potential clients stay in a Dumb Home to experience a natural building so they can see how they feel about it.

I closed on my parcel!

I'm psyched!  As of October, I now own a 3/4 acre parcel of land at the end of a quiet street in a lovely neighborhood.  It's a great site for passive and active solar, with good shade from the brutal summer sun.  I especially like the protected open space to the south, and the pedestrian trail along the west property line.  Beyond the trail is a tidal creek that I've kayaked many times.  I'll be able to put my kayak on my bike trailer and pull it about 1/8 of a mile to the launch point!